How to Clear Table Data in MS Access

Quick summary

Clearing table data in MS Access is done by building and running a delete query in Query Design view, which permanently removes all records from the selected table. This step-by-step process uses the Access Ribbon to configure, run, and confirm the deletion without writing any SQL manually.

Steps

1. Open your Access database to get started.
2. Go to the Create tab in the Ribbon.
3. Click on Query Design to open a new query in Design View.
4. Add the table from which you want to delete data by clicking Add Selected Tables.
5. In Design View, click the Delete button in the Ribbon to convert the query into a delete query.
6. In the Query Design grid, under the Field row, select the asterisk icon to target all records.
7. Click Run (the red exclamation mark on the Ribbon) to execute the query.
8. Go to the Navigation Pane and click Close.
9. Under Queries, select the query you want to clear.
10. Click Run to execute the query — you will be asked to confirm the deletion.
11. Click Yes to delete all records in the table.
12. The process is complete — using this method will permanently delete the data in the table.